Even The Best Fall Down Sometimes
by Anniely
Summary: Sometimes bad things happen to good people and there is nothing that we can do about that. But sometimes good things happen to good people. EmilyHotch


_Disclaimer: I don't own nothing._

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**Even The Best Fall Down Sometimes**

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_Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That's why it's a comfort to go hand-in-hand.  
__(Emily Kimbrough)_

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Aaron Hotchner hated to admit it, but he flinched when someone tentatively knocked on his door. A glance at his watch told him that it was half past eleven. With furrowed brows and a sigh Hotch got up from the couch and put the wine glass in his hand down on the small table.

He locked through the peephole out of sheer habit and opened the door with a very confused look on his face.

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Emily Prentiss looked everything but confident, as Hotch opened the door for her.

'What are you doing here, Emily?' Hotch asked, before he had even completely gotten the door open.

Emily had her arms around her torso and a few raindrops glittered in her hair.

'I know it's late; I'm sorry for bothering you,' Emily mumbled, not looking into Hotch's eyes. Instead she focused on the blue carpet of his apartment. 'I couldn't sleep and I wanted to see you and -'

Emily stopped, pressing a hand to her face. Hotch could see her shoulder shake. As she started to sob, Hotch had already pulled her into his apartment, pushed the door shut and put his arms tightly around Emily's shoulders. For a while, Emily's sobs were the only sound to be heard in the room. Hotch's arms stayed securely around her body the whole time, as if he was trying to protect her from everything evil. Emily had buried her head on his shoulder and was holding on to Hotch for dear life.

After a few minutes, her sobs subsided and Emily slowly lifted her head from Hotch's shoulder. She looked more embarrassed than anything, when she wiped the tears off her cheek. Hotch's hand came up and he brushed away a few stray tears that Emily had missed.

'Just a moment,' he said softly and disappeared into the kitchen. He returned with a Kleenex which he handed to Emily.

'Here.'

'Thanks,' she murmured.

Hotch watched her blow her nose and try to get rid of the smudged mascara around her eyes. Finally, Emily put the tissue into her pocked and reluctantly met Hotch's gaze.

She pointed to his shoulder. 'Sorry for messing up your shirt.'

'That's not a big deal,' Hotch calmly gave back and shrugged.

'I'm sorry for coming by unannounced. I know I should have -'

'Emily,' he interrupted her. 'It's OK.'

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Hotch took her hand and gently pulled her to the living room. He could see the hesitation in Emily's eyes, the uncertainty. He wasn't sure whether it was because of her breakdown or because of her presence in his home, but Hotch was determined to make her feel better. He guided her to the couch and went to get another wine glass. When he returned, Emily had pulled his blanket up around her shoulders. She looked up and smiled as he showed her the second glass.

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Emily had emptied her first glass before Hotch spoke up. 'You want to tell me what's wrong?'

Emily stared at the last drop of red wine in her glass, then she shifted on the sofa until she was facing Hotch.

'That case just hit a little close to home,' she said and stared at her hands in her lap. Without consciously deciding to do so, Hotch covered her small hands with his. Feeling how cold they were, he pulled Emily's hands, and thereby her, closer.

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_'I fought as hard as I could,' the woman sobbed. Her hands over the white blanket were shaking. There were scratches all over the back of her hands, up to her elbows. She had quite a few bluish bruises in her face and the white bandage around her head stood in stark contrast to the black of her hair._

_'I fought as hard as I could,' she repeated. Her gaze did not leave the floor. 'I couldn't save them. I tried, I tried so hard, but it wasn't enough; it just wasn't enough. But they shouldn't have … it should have been me. Not my children. I wish it was me and not them! I wish I were dead, too.'_

_The woman broke out into tears and a nurse hurried in, ushering the Emily, Morgan and Hotch out, before giving the patient a sedative._

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Hotch nodded, even though Emily couldn't see for she was now staring at their entwined hands. The case had been a tough one.; a serial killer targeting whole families was always one of the hardest things to bear. But the last family had been different. A single mother and her two children had been attacked in their own home when they returned from a baseball match. The UnSub had used a gun to control the three, but as he shot her son, the mother had started to fight back. In the end, she had killed the UnSub, but at too high cost. Her daughter, a girl that had just turned five, had been killed during the fight, as the UnSub had started to randomly shoot around.

'I never meant to stand at your doorstep at this late hour,' Emily finally went on. 'But I was at home and I just couldn't turn the light off.' She looked up at Hotch with a small, sad smile playing around her lips. 'It's stupid, really.'

'Emily, nothing about this is stupid. It's OK if you lose it every once in a while. You're only human.'

Emily looked at the man opposite her and nodded. A single tear made it down her cheek. On impulse, Hotch pulled Emily against him, cradling her in his arms. He buried a hand in her hand and soothingly rubbed her back. But Emily had cried enough for one night, so she snuggled closer to Hotch and enjoyed his warmth.

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'You know, I might already feel better,' Emily said after a while and tilted her head upwards. She pressed a soft kiss to Hotch's cheek.

'Might?' Hotch asked. He lifted an eyebrow and grinned. Then he kissed her.

'Mhm,' Emily murmured against his lips. She drew back a little. 'Definitely feel better, now.'

'Good.'

Hotch adjusted his arms around Emily's frame. His cheek came to rest on the top of her hair.

'You feel like sleeping, yet?' he wanted to know. In just that moment, Emily yawned. 'I take that means 'yes'.'

Hotch chuckled and stood up, pulling Emily up.

'Let's get some sleep,' he said.

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Together they made their way to Hotch's bedroom. Hotch lay awake for some time after Emily's breathing had become steady. Her warmth was seeping through the material of his shirt and a loose strand of hair tickled his chin. When Emily had shown up, he had been drinking wine because he, too, had been affected by the case. Just seeing her stand there, on his doorstep, had made him feel better instantly.

He smiled into the dark. It was good to know that there weren't only monsters out there. There were good things, too. And sometimes good things happened to people like him. Emily moved in her sleep and stole some of his blanket. Hotch pulled it back without waking her and closed his eyes. Sleep came fast.

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Both agents slept soundly that night, safe from nightmares and ghosts in each other's arms.

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_A/N: This begged to be written and who am I to deny such a wish? Anyways, this has not been proof-written, so if you find mistakes, well, I guess you could tell me. That is, if you made it this far.  
__Btw, there is a CM quote in there and the title is a line from a very beautiful song_.


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